Frederick hugh smith



Patented July I9, I898,

F. H. SMITH. ACETYLENE GAS GENERATOR.

(Application filed Sept. 22, 1897.)

{No Model.)

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Units States Patent @rrrcm FREDERICK HUGH SMITH, 'OF DUNBLANE, SCOTLAND.

ACETYLENE-GAS GENERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 607,650, dated July 19, 1898.

Application filed September 22, 1897. $9Tifil NO- 1 (NO 1110501) To all whmn it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK HUGH SMITH, a subject of the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at The Limes, Dunblane, in the county of Perth, Scotland, have invented new and useful Improvements in Acetylene-Gas Generators, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in acetylenegas generators for all purposes where a light is required or for the supply of gas for motive power or other purposes, and has for its object to more thoroughly insure the withholding of the water-s upply from thecarbid when the gas within the chamber exceeds a certain pressure and until that pressure has been reduced by the consumption of the gas, after which the water is again allowed to come into contact with the carbid to generate a further supply, the water-supply pipes being so arranged that the carbid-chambers, of which I employ two, are automatically brought into action alternately, so that the generation of the gas is not interfered with when recharging the machin e-that is to say, the setting of either carbid-chamber in to operation puts the machine in condition to bring the other chamber into operation automatically when the first chamber is exhausted.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification, Figure l is an elevation, Fig. 2 is a vertical section, and Fig. 3 a horizontal section, of a generator having two chambers arranged to come into action automatically one after the other. Figs. 4 and 5 are sections of the cock, showing the water-inlet ports in different positions.

Referring to the said drawings, l employ a tank or box A, divided into upper and lower chambers H H, connected with each other by a tube It, depending from the bottom of the upper chamber H to near the bottom of the lower chamber H. \Vithin-the lower chamher I mount three upright tubes J J J the two outer of which, J J are provided with slots or openings 3' 7' at the same level, while the third or central tube, J, is provided with a similar slot or openingj at a higher level. The tank A has a removable cover a A coil or tube l) passes up from the upper part of chamber ll, through the chamber H, and thence to points of storage or consumption of the gas, as may be desired. Situated .within the lower chamber and below or at the sides of the three upright tubes are two tubular recesses K K, so arranged that the water in the chamber 11 is free to circulate around them. These recesses hold the carbid-drawers 7t, which are approximately of a semicircular shape in section, and access is obtained to the said recesses by fiat metal doors K clamped by a screw K or other similar means insuring a gastight joint. This method of arranging the carbid-chambers so that water is free to circulate around them effectually prevents the possibility of an explosion through overheating, while the formation of the drawers insures that the moisture formed by condensation within the recesses cannot come in contact with and attackthe carbid,but trickles down outside the drawers.

For regulating the supply of water to the carbid-drawers I employ a five-Way cock E,

which has fixed ports or waterways Z, leading to the three upright tubes J J J 2 and the two drawer-tubes M M and provided at the outside of the generator with an operating-ham dle 'm, indicating-circle m, and pointer m The effect of this cock is such that the supply of water to the carbid-drawers can be out 01f altogether or be actuated in one direction to open the ports leading from the one outer tube to the tube of the one carbid-chamber and at the same time the ports leading from the central tube to the tube of the other carbid-chamber. The stem or movable part of the cock has cross-channels e 6, adapted to cooperate with the water-ports l. The indieating-circle m is provided with the remarks To charge A, To charge 13, A charged,

B charged, or other similar indications,

but which are substituted in the drawings by the numerals l, 2, 3, and at, respectively.

The action of the generator is as follows: Supposing that both carbid-chambers have been charged and that the operating-handle of the cock points to 4;, 13 charged, the ports leading from the outer tube J to the tube M will be opened, and also the ports leading from the central tube J to the tube M. Upon the introduction of water to the chamber A it will immediately enter the lower chamber H by the tube h until it reaches the level of the lower slots jj when it will pass through the slot j, (the other being closed,) attack the carbid, and form gas. As soon as this gas attains a certain pressure it, acting on the surface of the water in the chambers, forces the water out of the lower chamber II into the upper chamber H by means of the said tube h until the level of the water is brought below the slot j of the tube J, when the watersupply being thus stopped any fresh generation of gas is also stopped until a portion of the gas has been consumed and the pressure reduced to allow the water to flow again from the upper into the lower chamber, when the water again reaches the slot j and the gas generation is renewed. This continues until the carbid in the chamber K is exhausted, when the water rises until it reaches the slot j in the central tube J, when it attacks the carbid in the other chamber K.

When one chamber, as A, is exhausted and requires recharging, the handle of the cock is turned to 1, To charge A, the ports being now arranged as shown in Fig. 5, stopping the supply to the chamber K by the central tube J, but enabling it to be done through the side tube J, which before fed the first chamber K. The supply to chamber K is thus stopped, so that the chamber K can be recharged in safety. Then the handle is turned to 3, A charged, and this alters the supply to chamber K from the low-level tube J to the other low-level tube J the ports being also now so arranged that the chamber K last charged will come into operation on high level when the other is exhausted.

The foregoing operation may be reversed when the opposite takes place.

Fig. 4: shows the position of the ports 6 prior to starting the generator.

In any case the gas from the carbid-chambers K K escapes through the same pipe J, J, or J 2 that admits the water, the water-inlet slot j, j, or 7' being very narrow compared to the size of the pipe and the pipe being open at the top.

Having thus described my invention, the following is what I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination with a tank formed in two chambers, connected with each other by a depending tube and having two carbid-chambers arranged side by side within the lower chamber of the tank so that the water can circulate around them, of three upright tubes the two outer of which have slots at a lower level than the slot in the central tube, by which the water is caused to attack the carbid in the one chamber when the carbid in the other is exhausted and a five-way cock for controlling the supply of Water by these tubes whereby the two chambers are automatically and alternately brought into action, as described and shown.

2. In an acetylene-gas generator, the combination with a tank formed with upper and lower chambers, connected with 'each other by a depending tube, and two carbid-chambers, of three upright tubes of which two communicate with the lower chamber aforesaid at a lower level than the other tube, and a five-way cock having ports connected to said tubes and to the carbid-chambers and adapted to connect the said tubes alternately with the said carbid-chambers, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

FREDERICK HUGH SMITH.

Witnesses:

FREDERIC SMITH, JAMES DENHAM. 

